For many years, food scientists have devoted a great deal of time to developing methods for preparing synthetic meat products from secondary plant and animal sources. Many methods are therefore known for producing a variety of meat-like and sausage-like products.
Methods for preparing meat-like products from "chewy protein gels" are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,802,737; 2,813,024; 2,813,025; 2,830,902 and 2,833,651. The pH of an aqueous mixture of soy or peanut protein is adjusted to a pH above 6.0 and the mixture is heated to form the "chewy protein gel". Proteinaceous filaments, flavors, colors and the like can also be added to the protein gel to simulate the desired meat-like product.
Sausage analogs are prepared, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,678, by heating a mixture of non-fibrous gelable soy protein isolate and a material selected from albumin, casein, whey and mixtures thereof to form a permanent protein gel. Additives mixed with the protein, preferably before heating, contribute to produce various sausage-type products.
Another method for preparing a meat analog is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,435. The analog is formed from a protein gel precursor which has incorporated animal fatty tissue and/or vegetable oil with a thermostable, polymeric, carbohydrate gel such as alginate or pectin. The carbohydrate gel partially prevents or minimizes apparent emulsification of the fatty tissue and/or vegetable oil. The protein gel precursor is heat-set to form the analogs.
In the December 1976 issue of Food Processing, p. 71, a juicy cholesterol-free sausage analog is described which requires no fat or oil when it is fried. The analog utilizes specially developed ingredient systems involving cellulose gums in combination with textured soy protein, gum emulsion stability systems and flavor systems which must be blended in the proper sequence and quantity for this purpose.